


The Tower

by celeste9



Series: February Challenge Fics [27]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dragons, Established Relationship, F/F, Fairy Tale Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 23:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13821663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: Rey finds herself in a tower surrounded by dragons; Jess is prepared to do anything to rescue her, whether or not Rey actually needs it.





	The Tower

**Author's Note:**

> Day 27: fairy tale AU
> 
> (This isn't actually an AU, more like fairy tale conventions transposed into the SW universe. Also, the dragons are definitely totally evil dragons.)

“And she saved her with true love’s kiss and as you can see, they lived happily ever after,” Poe finished with a wide grin.

“That is not what happened,” Rey said with a scowl.

Jess shoved at Poe’s shoulder. “It really isn’t.”

“Okay, so I maybe embellished a little,” Poe said, palms up, and absolutely no one present looked surprised. “I was kinda preoccupied. I missed most of it. I killed a dragon, everyone.”

“So did we,” Rey pointed out.

“Yeah, and yours was bigger.”

That got a smile out of Rey, just a little one.

Jess looped her arm around Rey’s shoulders. “So what really happened, guys, was…”

-

“Okay, do you see that? It’s not just me?”

“Not just you, Commander,” Jess said, bringing her X-wing in low as they approached.

The tower soared up into the clouds, ivy vines covering the stone. It looked like something literally out of a story, particularly when she caught sight of the huge reptilian shapes circling the peak, wings spread.

“Are you in there, Rey?” she murmured under her breath.

“But do you see the dragons?” came Poe’s voice.

“Yes, I see the dragons! I have to get in there, Poe. Can you draw them away from the tower, see if they won’t go down with a torpedo?”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll distract the dragons, no problem.”

Despite his sarcasm, Jess could hear the excitement in Poe’s voice; he was such a kriffing dork. He fired an experimental blast and the dragons roared; as Poe peeled off, the smaller one went after him.

“One dragon is better than two dragons,” Jess told herself, and went in closer. She fired; the dragon dodged and flew towards her, jaws gaping.

“Fuck! Holy fuck!” Jess swore, as a blast of actual, literal fire burned out her engine. She ejected as her ship spun down into the ground, exploding. The dragon watched the wreckage but it must have missed Jess, because she hit the ground some distance away, safe and ignored.

As she disentangled herself, bruised but unharmed, Jess looked up towards the vine-covered tower. She was too low, and the clouds too dense, to see anything. She had no idea where the dragon was, if it had gone after Poe, the only perceived threat, or if it was staying to guard the tower. She couldn’t see Poe, either, and she couldn’t hear anything. She hoped he was okay.

But Poe wasn’t her real concern; Rey was.

Jess trudged towards where she hoped she would find a door, using a vibroknife to cut through thick vines to clear her path. The smell was overpowering, thick and cloying, with an undercurrent of rot.

“Please be safe, babe,” Jess said, and continued on.

-

“Oh,” Rey moaned, as she blinked blearily awake. Her head felt like it had been smashed in and she was so woozy she had to lie still for several minutes until she was able to sit up.

She puked over the side of the bed anyway, wiping her mouth off on the back of her hand. “Ugh.”

The room was small and dimly lit; there was a single window in the wall through which Rey couldn’t even see the sky. She leaned out and saw only branches, as though the greenery had overrun the entire structure.

She didn’t know where she was and she couldn’t remember how she had gotten here. Her head ached and she swayed on her feet when she moved. Rey rubbed her thumb over the tip of her forefinger absently; it was sore, as though she had pricked herself.

Perhaps she had.

Her lightsaber was gone. In the room she found a walking staff she could use as a weapon, so she took it. If she also had to use it to keep herself steady as she walked, well, there was no one to see anyway.

The door was unlocked. If someone was trying to keep her captive they were doing a poor job of it.

Rey made her way down what felt like an interminable flight of stairs, bracing herself on her staff and trailing her fingertips along the wall. Even so she had to stop every few moments to catch her breath; she felt like she was floating in a dream, half-asleep, but with a massive hangover.

Her comlink was missing so she couldn’t contact anyone, and she found no one as she walked. At least, no one for a long while, until she heard the sound of a familiar voice echoing through the passage.

“Jess?” she said, her voice a croak. She coughed, swallowed, and tried again. “Jess?”

“Rey! Rey, stay there, I’m coming!”

Honestly Rey wasn’t sure she could have moved; it was like the knowledge that Jess had found her was all that she had been struggling for and her body simply gave up, knowing that Jess was nearly with her. She slid down the wall, staff clattering to the floor, and leaned her head back, breathing shallowly.

“Rey! I’ve got you,” Jess exclaimed, kneeling at her side. “Are you okay? You look awful.”

“Feel sick,” Rey admitted. “I… I think I scratched myself on something?” Why couldn’t she remember?

“Sweetheart,” Jess said, and leaned their foreheads together, kissing Rey’s mouth briefly.

It was strange. One moment Rey felt as though her body was failing her and the next she felt consumed with warmth and brightness; she opened her eyes and focused on Jess, beautiful Jess, and everything was right again.

Jess’ pretty face was drawn with nerves and concern, her eyes tired. Rey stroked her cheek.

“It’s gone,” she murmured. “Help me up?”

Jess complied, and it was all gone. The weakness, the exhaustion, the nausea, the ache. Rey kissed her again. “It’s so strange, but I feel fine now.”

Jess brushed her fingers over her lips. “You threw up, didn’t you?”

“Sorry,” Rey said, a blush rising in her cheeks.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. You said you scratched yourself?’

Rey looked at her finger. “I thought I did? I don’t know, everything is so hazy. I just want to leave; I feel like I’m in another world or something here, where nothing makes sense.”

“I know what you mean.” Jess squeezed Rey’s waist. “Had to hack my way in here, and Poe’s outside fighting a dragon.”

Rey blinked at her with wide eyes. “A dragon?”

“I know, right? Crazy. Let’s get out while we can. Oh! Kept this for you,” Jess said, passing over Rey’s lightsaber.

It felt good in Rey’s hand, and they continued down the stairs together.

-

The second dragon found them outside.

“Blast!” Jess shouted, pulling Rey with her back up against the wall, narrowly avoiding a stream of fire.

“It’s actually a dragon,” Rey said, a bit breathless. “I thought you were exaggerating. I didn’t think they were real!”

“Me, neither, until it destroyed my ship. An actual fire-breathing, flying dragon. Figures we’d find it.” Jess ducked out to fire her blaster but it was all but useless against the creature’s thick hide. She wished she had her ship.

“We need to get it to come closer.”

“Closer? Are you insane?”

“Trust me,” Rey said, and Jess hesitated only a moment.

“Okay,” she said, and ran out, firing and shouting. “Hey! Hey, pal, come this way!”

The dragon apparently found her an extremely tempting target because it headed straight for her. Jess held her ground, aiming for the softer underbelly.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she muttered, just as Rey went leaping up, vaulting onto the dragon’s back, her lightsaber outstretched.

The dragon made a shrieking sound as Rey held the blade to its throat, slicing through. It tumbled to the ground, Rey riding it down, landing with a crash. She leaped off gracefully, toeing the creature as if to ensure it was dead.

“Damn, you are so kriffing hot,” Jess said, and swept Rey into another kiss. “But you still taste like vomit.”

Rey smacked her laughingly.

“I guess mine was the baby,” Poe said from behind them, sweaty and disheveled but smiling widely. “Glad I got here in time to help. You obviously needed me.”

Jess stroked a strand of hair behind Rey’s ear and smiled, partly in relief and partly in amusement. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

-

“See, I only made it back for the kissing,” Poe was explaining to their friends. “It was a reasonable assumption. I know how these stories go.”

“Yeah, well, if it had gone like these stories normally go, Rey would have been waiting for me up in the tower, and that clearly didn’t happen,” Jess pointed out.

Rey wrinkled her nose. “Who would just wait?”

Jess couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to the tip of that cute little nose. “Love you.”

“Yeah,” Rey said, and smiled.

 


End file.
